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King Kong

King Kong

Adventure · Fantasy · Horror · 1976

An oil company expedition disturbs the peace of a giant ape and brings him back to New York to exploit him.

Movie details

King Kong

“The most exciting original motion picture event of all time.”

1976 Adventure · Fantasy · Horror 2h 14m

Critical arithmetic

The consensus, allegedly.

IMDb

6.0 / 10

37.3K votes

Metacritic

61 / 100

Metascore

TMDB

6.3 / 10

Community rating

External scores via OMDb · CC BY-NC 4.0. Values normalized for display; availability varies by title.

An oil company expedition disturbs the peace of a giant ape and brings him back to New York to exploit him.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over King Kong?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

Creature from the Black Lagoon

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When scientists exploring the Amazon River stumble on a “missing link” connecting humans and fish, they plan to capture it for later study. But the Creature has plans of his own, and has set his sights on the lead scientist's beautiful fiancée, Kay.

One Million Years B.C.

One Million Years B.C.

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As the Earth wrestles with its agonizing birth, the peoples of this barren and desolate world struggle to survive. Driven by animal instinct they compete against the harsh conditions, their giant predators, and warring tribes. When two people from opposing clans fall in love, existing conventions are shattered forever as each tribe struggles for supremacy and Man embarks on his tortuous voyage of civilization.

The Water Man

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Underwater

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After an earthquake destroys their underwater station, six researchers must navigate two miles along the dangerous, unknown depths of the ocean floor to make it to safety in a race against time.

King Kong

King Kong

Adventure · 1933

Adventurous filmmaker Carl Denham sets out to produce a motion picture unlike anything the world has seen before. Alongside his leading lady Ann Darrow and his first mate Jack Driscoll, they arrive on an island and discover a legendary creature said to be neither beast nor man. Denham captures the monster to be displayed on Broadway as King Kong, the eighth wonder of the world.

The Incredible Shrinking Man

The Incredible Shrinking Man

Sci-fi · 1957

A dangerous combination of radiation and insecticide causes the unfortunate Scott Carey to shrink, slowly but surely, until he is only a few inches tall. His home becomes a wilderness where he must survive everything from spiders living in the cellar to his beloved cat.

Dragonheart: Vengeance

Dragonheart: Vengeance

Fantasy · 2021

Lukas, a young farmer whose family is killed by savage raiders in the countryside, sets out on an epic quest for revenge, forming an unlikely trio with a majestic dragon and a swashbuckling, sword-fighting mercenary, Darius.

Jack the Giant Slayer

Jack the Giant Slayer

Fantasy · 2013

The story of an ancient war that is reignited when a young farmhand unwittingly opens a gateway between our world and a fearsome race of giants. Unleashed on the Earth for the first time in centuries, the giants strive to reclaim the land they once lost, forcing the young man, Jack into the battle of his life to stop them. Fighting for a kingdom, its people, and the love of a brave princess, he comes face to face with the unstoppable warriors he thought only existed in legend–and gets the chance to become a legend himself.

The Legend of Tarzan

The Legend of Tarzan

Fantasy · 2016

Tarzan, having acclimated to life in London, is called back to his former home in the jungle to investigate the activities at a mining encampment.

Kong: Skull Island

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Action · 2017

Explore the mysterious and dangerous home of the king of the apes as a team of explorers ventures deep inside the treacherous, primordial island.

Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

John Guillermin

Written by

Lorenzo Semple Jr. · James Ashmore Creelman · Ruth Rose

Jeff Bridges

Jeff Bridges

Jack F. Prescott

Jessica Lange

Jessica Lange

Dwan

Charles Grodin

Charles Grodin

Fred S. Wilson

John Randolph

John Randolph

Captain Ross

René Auberjonois

René Auberjonois

Roy Bagley

Julius Harris

Julius Harris

Boan

Jack O'Halloran

Jack O'Halloran

Joe Perko

Court is in session

Put King Kong on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Adrenaline Seeker

“Its refusal to behave is the point.”

The strange choices create the kind of friction that follows you out of the theatre and into the argument.

The prosecution The Prestige Tourist

“Oddness is not depth.”

A film can break every rule and still leave nothing behind but the memory of how hard it tried to be singular.